ABSTRACT
The chemical warfare agent was a 20th century military name used to describe a chemical compound that could be used to injure or kill opposing forces on the battlefield. The list of potential chemical warfare agents grew during World War II and afterward as advances in chemistry created new, deadlier agents. The many suggestions, inventions, and concepts proposed during the American Civil War were among the forerunners of chemicals used on a much larger scale during World War I. Germany was the leader in first using chemical weapons on the battlefield and then introducing or developing new chemical agents to counter new developments in protective equipment. The most significant use of chemical weapons occurred when Iraq used them against Iran during the Iran–Iraq. The Syrian government has reportedly used chemical weapons repeatedly during the Syrian civil war, which has been going on for over 5 years. The most publicized incident involving chemical terrorism occurred in Japan in 1995.
